Introduction–Book I, Chapter VI

Book I, Chapters VII-XIII, page 2

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Summary: Chapter VII

One day, Ántonia and Jim ride Jim’s pony to Peter’s house
to borrow a spade for Ambrosch, her older brother. On the way home,
they stop to examine a group of prairie-dog holes. Suddenly, Ántonia spots
an enormous snake and lets out a scream, which causes the snake
to coil in their direction. She points at the snake and shouts at Jim
in her native Bohemian. Jim turns around and sees the huge snake.
He swiftly gathers his wits and uses the spade to bludgeon the snake
several times to kill it. Jim gets angry at Ántonia for not warning
him in English about the presence of the snake, but her admiration
for his bravery quickly wins him over. They resolve to bring the dead
snake home to show off Jim’s victory. The size of the snake impresses
Jim’s elders, and Ántonia derives great pleasure from relating the
story to all interested listeners.

Summary: Chapter VIII

Meanwhile, the Russians, Peter and Pavel, have fallen
upon hard times. Peter finds himself deeply in debt to a Black Hawk
moneylender named Wick Cutter, and Pavel seriously injures himself
in a fall. When Peter arrives at the Burdens’ to ask the Shimerdas,
who are visiting, for help, Jim decides to accompany Ántonia and
her father to the Russians’ farm. They arrive after nightfall and
find Pavel lying incapacitated. Frantic preoccupation with wolves
punctuates his illness—a fascination whose origins Ántonia explains
to Jim on the ride home: when Pavel and Peter were living in Russia, they
attended a winter wedding party between a mutual friend and a girl
from a neighboring town. On the ride home from the wedding, a pack
of wolves attacked the wedding party in their sledges. Everyone
perished, with the exception of Pavel and Peter, who were driving
the sledge that carried the newly married couple; in a frantic effort
to lighten that sledge’s load to increase its speed, Pavel had thrown
the couple to the wolves. The shame of this incident drove Pavel
and Peter from their hometown and later from Russia.

The memory of the horror of that evening plagues both
Pavel and Peter. Pavel dies mere days after Ántonia and Jim’s visit,
and, with Pavel gone, Peter sells off everything and leaves America.
Mr. Shimerda thus quickly loses two of the only friends he had made
in the country, and Pavel’s story continues to fascinate Ántonia
and Jim long after Pavel’s death.

Summary: Chapter IX

At the first snowfall, Otto Fuchs builds a sleigh for
Jim to drive. After a test run, Jim sets out to give Ántonia and
Yulka a ride. The girls are unprepared for the cold weather, and
Jim gives them some of his clothing to help them keep warm. As a
result, he himself is vulnerable to the cold, and ends up bedridden
for two weeks with quinsy, a severe tonsil disease.

Summary: Chapter X

Jim’s next encounter with Ántonia occurs when Mrs. Burden resolves
to bring a gift of a rooster and foodstuffs to the Shimerdas. As
they approach the Shimerda farm, Jim spots Ántonia working at the
water pump, but she quickly flees back to the house. When Mrs. Shimerda
answers the Burdens’ call, she is in tears. The Shimerdas have very
little food stored up for the winter, and much of what they do have
is rotting. When Jake brings in the gift basket of food, Mrs. Shimerda
only cries harder. Mr. Shimerda explains that they were not beggars
in Bohemia, but that several unexpected turns in -America have left
them with very little money. While Mrs. Burden reassures the Shimerdas,
Jim plays with Yulka’s kitten. As the Burdens rise to leave, Mrs.
Shimerda presents a small gift package of food to Mrs. Burden. On
the ride home, Jake and Mrs. Burden -discuss the Shimerdas’ plight.
Later, while preparing supper, Mrs. Burden discards the gift package
of food. Though he is unsure of what the food is, Jim breaks off
a small piece and eats it anyway.

Summary: Chapter XI

During the week before Christmas, with Jake preparing
to go into town to do the Burdens’ Christmas shopping, a heavy snow
begins to fall. Mr. Burden decides that the roads are unfit for
travel, and the family sets about to create homemade Christmas presents.
Jim makes a pair of picture books for Ántonia and Yulka, and Mrs.
Burden bakes gingerbread cookies. After delivering an offering to
the Shimerdas, Jake brings back a small cedar tree, which the Burdens decorate
on Christmas Eve.

My Antonia is a modernist novel about the coming of age. Modernism is a style of writing used from the late 19th century till the 1930s. Modernism is a style that has no central plot instead it is more of a series of episodes. Please take note that most teachers ask for a specific plot where this novel doesn't really have one. My advice here would be to talk about the aging of the main characters or Jim's attraction to Antonia as a main plot. Also take note that both Jim Burden and Antonia can be considered Protagonists. I hope this helps as... Read more→

Mr. Shimerda CANNOT possibly have committed suicide for this is impossible. The scene has showed that Mr. Shimerda, laying on his side with the gun beside him. Otto's suspicion was that Mr. Shimerda was to lay on his side and put his long rifle in his mouth, using his big toe to pull the trigger, and kill himself. This would make sense, seeing how the scene was created and how there was a bullet hole in the wall until it takes up on account of two major problem, being the Shimerdas are HIGHLY religious and that there were pieces of his head,... Read more→